tuberculosis

noun

tu·​ber·​cu·​lo·​sis tu̇-ˌbər-kyə-ˈlō-səs 

tyu̇-

plural tuberculoses tu̇-ˌbər-kyə-ˈlō-ˌsēz 

tyu̇-

: a highly variable communicable disease of humans and some other vertebrates that is caused by the tubercle bacillus and rarely in the U.S. by a related mycobacterium (Mycobacterium bovis), that affects especially the lungs but may spread to other areas (such as the kidney or spinal column), and that is characterized by fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, formation of tubercles, caseation, pleural effusions, and fibrosis

Examples of tuberculosis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Surveillance to find the next pandemic Most years, the deadliest infectious disease in the world is tuberculosis, a brutal bacterium that’s also frustratingly expensive to eradicate (which is why none of GiveWell’s top charities target it). —Dylan Matthews, Vox, 3 Dec. 2024

This makes a perfect breeding ground for the spread of malaria, cholera and tuberculosis. —Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024

Certain positions require that the volunteer be at least 16 years old, commit to at least two volunteer sessions per month for six months, provide references, application, and current tuberculosis test results, and submit to background checks and training. —Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 20 Nov. 2024

Al had pleurisy, his sister Nami had tuberculosis, and his sister Margaret, mother to seven children, nearly died from an attack of appendicitis. —Jake Whitney, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tuberculosis

noun

tu·​ber·​cu·​lo·​sis t(y)u̇-ˌbər-kyə-ˈlō-səs 

: a disease of human beings and some other vertebrates caused by a bacterium and usually marked by wasting, fever, and formation of cheesy tubercles that in human beings occur mostly in the lungs

tuberculous

t(y)u̇-ˈbər-kyə-ləs

adjective

Medical Definition

tuberculosis

noun

tu·​ber·​cu·​lo·​sis t(y)u̇-ˌbər-kyə-ˈlō-səs 

plural tuberculoses -ˌsēz 

: a usually chronic highly variable disease that is caused by a bacterium of the genus Mycobacterium (M. tuberculosis) and rarely in the United States by a related mycobacterium (M. bovis), is usually communicated by inhalation of the airborne causative agent, affects especially the lungs but may spread to other areas (as the kidney or spinal column) from local lesions or by way of the lymph or blood vessels, and is characterized by fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, inflammatory infiltrations, formation of tubercles, caseation, pleural effusion, and fibrosis

called also TB